


Over the Edge and Back

by CurlyLahey (orphan_account)



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Avenger cuddles, Avengers Family, Avengers Puppy Piles, Avengers Tower, Avengers go shopping, Avengers on Vacation, BAMF JARVIS, Bonding, Camping, Child Abuse, Cuddling & Snuggling, Domestic Avengers, Domestic Fluff, Elemental Magic, F/M, Family, Family Feels, Fluff, Gen, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Maybe - Freeform, Movie Night, Movie References, Nicknames, Nightmares, Not Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie) Compliant, Not Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Compliant, OFC Has Powers, Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Pets, Physical Abuse, Pranks and Practical Jokes, Protective Avengers, Protective Steve Rogers, Protective Team, Protective Tony Stark, Rape, Scars, School, Shopping, Slow Burn, Smut, TV Show References, Team Bonding, Team as Family, The Avengers Are Good Bros, Trauma, Vacation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-23
Updated: 2017-05-01
Packaged: 2018-10-23 05:48:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10713465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/CurlyLahey
Summary: Steve Rogers has been disappearing from the tower on Mondays and Fridays every two weeks and has been doing so for the past six months, no-one on the team knows where he goes; except Tony, Tony knows all.Delilah 'Lilah' 'Mack' McIntosh is who he spends those times with, she's a seventeen year old girl he met at an after school program for kids and teenagers. Captain America was nothing like she'd expected; he was more and he became her safe haven. It was the little walks in the park and the stories he'd tell her over a cup of chocolate ice-cream that had her feeling like she could face the day. But, that all goes to shit at five in the evening everyday when she goes home and shuts the door behind her.A fatal mishap one night causes her to burst through the front doors of the tower to seek out the only person in the world who could save her from herself and that's when she ended up finding ten more.Tony was right when he said that they're the Avengers and that they can bust arms dealers all the live-long day, but that teenager in the Jimi Hendrix T-shirt is going to need more than superheroes to save her, she's going to need a family.****Reposted because it accidentally got  deleted!





	1. Excerpt

"Look around you, kid." Bruce started out softly, earnestly. "Earth's Mightiest Heroes are sitting with you in a circle and we're roasting marshmallows over a fire because you asked us to."

"None of us will ever understand what you went through but we're here to remind you that it won't happen again."

"You joined this Brady Bunch and this Papa Bear promised to take care of his cub, so don't worry." Tony pulled her into a one armed hug.

"Wait, why do you get to be Papa Bear?"

"Stevie, I'm Papa Bear because I throw away all the vegetables you keep insisting on giving her."

"Yeah, but that doesn't ex- You do what?"

"Come on guys," Tony chuckled nervously. "Let's roast some weenies!"

"I'll roast your weenie." Steve muttered grumpily.


	2. Chapter 2

"You did not make out with Audrey Hepburn!" Delilah exclaims through a fit of giggles.

"Did so," Her companion declares. "She told me I was adorable then asked if she could buy me a drink and my friend Bucky was there with Marilyn Monroe and then the four of us went swing dancing."

The teen bursts into laughter and Steve just stands there with a proud little grin on his face.

"You honestly expect me to believe that you and your best friend went swing dancing with two feminine icons?"

"We did!" He takes a scoop of his dark chocolate ice cream and looks down at her. "She even invited me back to her place."

"Oh Mr. Ladykiller, get down with your bad self!" She manages to squeeze his bicep with her hand that was nestled in the crook of his elbow.

It was Steve's turn to laugh, it was a loud and boisterous one that shook his large frame. "I got down with nothing, back then I probably would've gotten an asthma attack trying to take my pants off."

Delilah coos at the light blush on the Captain's cheeks as they move to sit on a bench under a large tree. Steve had taken her to Central Park and had bought their ritualistic chocolate ice-cream. There wasn't many people in the park today and Steve was thankful for that, he didn't feel like answering any questions about who Delilah was or what he's been up to. He wants at least one day without people shoving their phones or tape recorders and cameras into his face.

"So how was school?"

Delilah's eyes are bright as she turns her attention from the waddling ducks to him. "It was surprisingly great, I got a ninety two on my history test and my art teacher liked my portfolio on you and the Howling Commandos."

Steve's eyebrows raise in surprise. "You drew me and my former team?"

"I've been drawing you ever since I met you six months ago. I'm sorry if I crossed a line, it's just you told me a lot of stories and showed me countless pictures and I couldn't just not draw it." She sighs. "Are you upset?"

"No, No, No!" He rushes out. "I'm not upset Mack, just a little shocked. May I see?"

Lilah's blue eyes light up and she hastily hands Steve her ice-cream so she could rummage through her backpack. Pulling out a thick-paged sketchbook, she flips it open and places it on his lap before taking the frozen treats from him.

Steve gasps when his eyes catch the burst of color on the page, the first painting was of him and it had two scenarios. The largest drawing was of his head and it stopped mid torso, he was wearing his suit and saluting with a look of determination in his painted cerulean eyes. Where that drawing ended, another began. It showed his pre-serum self from a rear view standpoint as he stood on a street looking up at the man he didn't know he would become, his left hand bent as if he were saluting back, while his right hand was filled with small sketchbooks.

"Mack, this is extraordinary." Steve's fingers brush against the drawing with feather light touches, almost afraid of tarnishing it. When he flipped through the pages he saw the other Commandos, they only had the large drawing of themselves but Steve could tell that a lot of effort had been put into them. The picture of Bucky however was a tad similar to his, the smaller of the two drawings showed Bucky in his Sargent uniform and he was saluting at the larger picture of he and Steve smiling. Steve smiles widely and placed the sketchbook carefully on the bench before pulling Delilah in for a surprise hug.

She squeaks and tightens her hold on the melted ice-cream but was able to rest her head on his shoulder. "Aw Steve, I'm glad you like it but reach into my bag and take out the other one while I go throw these away."

She stands up and walks the short distance to throw away the melted treat before jogging back to Steve who had now taken out the white leather bound book, she had drawn the Captain America insignia on the front and had scrawled his name under it with a calligraphy pen.

He cast her another surprised glance. "Is this for me?"

"Yeah, it's a way of saying thank you for putting up with me for six months." She teases

The first page was of the two of them walking through Battery Park with cotton candy, it was the first time he had taken her somewhere.

The second painting was recreated from a picture Steve had shown her that Nat had taken. It was New Years Eve and the team went up on the roof to watch the fireworks and he and Tony had been kissing, the color of the fireworks had been a deep red, so she made that the main color along with black. "Delilah." Was all Steve could get out. "Tony's going to love this."

"You look like you're about to cry, don't cry Stevie. There's more."

There was another one of him and Bucky together, they were both decked out in their gear and was standing back to back, Steve had his shield up and Bucky had his sniper. The bottom of the page showed them wearing civilian clothes, they had an arm around each other's shoulders and Bucky's head was thrown back as he laughed at something Steve was telling him.

The other pictures were of the rest of his team, clad in their battle gear and without them. She had signed her name at the bottom of each piece which made Steve smiled because she dotted the 'i' in her name with a star.

"This is an impeccable talent you have here, little lady." The super soldier compliments and it made the teenager preen. "And I thought I was good at drawing."

"You are, I'm just better." She jokes and nudges his shoulder.

"If I had known it was going to get to your head I would've said that it was terrible."

The elemental snorted loudly at that. "Which would end up hurting you more than it would hurt me."

Steve shrugs and reaches into his pocket for his phone when he heard it buzz.

From: Sweetums

Come back to me.

Steve's lips curl into a dopey grin as he reads the message, eyes rolling in fond irritation when he realizes that Tony changed his contact name. Again.

They stand up. "I believe our date has come to an end Miss McIntosh, the missus needs me."

Delilah coos once more before reaching up to pinch Steve's cheeks. "You guys are so dang cute, does he know you call him that?"

The blond nods as they begin to walk. "He actually does, he pouts and pretends he doesn't like it."

Delilah smiles at the look of utter love on Steve's face, he had come along six months ago and has made her shitty life a little more tolerable. This man walked into Crenshaw's After School Program and after everyone had stopped flocking him, he walked over to wear she had been sitting and told her he liked her Iron Man T-shirt and the rest was history. This man gave her happiness in the form of good company so he deserves his own.

"Thank you for the gift, Delilah." He squeezes her shoulder and she lets out a small scream before jumping back.

A dark look washes over his face, hardening his normally soft features. "What happened?" He felt like he already knew the answer but he's hoping it's wrong.

"I forgot to wash the dishes last night." She says simply, sadly.

Steve clenches his strong jaw while he steps closer to inspect the bandaged wound. "What did he do?"

"He had pushed me against the counter yesterday morning and bruised my shoulder, then when he saw it this morning he smashed his beer bottle and dug the jagged edge in the bruise to break the skin. I put some stuff on it, it'll be fine."

"It will never be fine until you do something about him." He gripes.

"I can't and I keep telling you that, he's my father!"

"A man who abuses his kid is not a father." Steve snaps, hands on hips and his Captain voice on the forefront.

"Look, he's just misguided okay. He misses mom and he's angry about it." She tries to justify but all it did was make the Spandex wearing super soldier seethe with anger.

"For God sakes, stop defending the bastard!" His voice rose several octaves, making the few people milling about turn their attention towards the pair as they exited the park. "He's been this way since your mother left and that was eleven years ago."

"Why do you think she did? It was because of me." She answers her own question.

"Delilah, you know that's not true." Steve Rogers knows about Delilah McIntosh probably way more than he had intended to, he knew about the abilities she inherited from her mother and how she just up and left them in the middle of the night when Delilah was nine years old.

"My powers were stronger than hers was at that age and said she couldn't deal with it anymore, that's what dad said."

"And you believe that?"

"Yes, it's not like mom's here to plead the fifth."

Steve gives a resigned sigh. "Why don't you let me do something about this?"

"Steve, I said no. He'll get better."

"When, before or after he puts you in the hospital?"

Delilah flinches at the biting tone in his voice. "He won't." She defends stubbornly.

"You know what?" Steve shook his head. "I'll leave this alone, since you seem to look like you enjoy getting beat on."

Delilah flounders, her mouth opening and closing in shock before it decided to snap shut. Her eyes cast downwards as it began to rim with tears.

Steve's body sags in regret as his mind finally catches up with his mouth. "Delilah I-"

"Save it, I'm going home." She jerks her arm away with a burst of strength when his fingers coiled a tad too snugly around her wrist. She brought her hands up in front of her as her eyes quickly glance to the left, shielding herself but ready to defend if need be.

Steve was stunned, his face crumpling as she seemed to tuck in on herself, putting distance between them. "I didn't mean that."

"Yes you did, you just didn't think it would come out that way."

Steve remains quiet and Delilah shakes her head, tears escaping her eyes like a dripping faucet. She manages to give him a sad, forced smirk, he could see something akin to a shadow pass over her face and he frowns as he's seen that look before, she's hiding herself from him again, her features morph into a completely blank expression and if it weren't for the tears on her cheeks he wouldn't have been able to read her. It was like a switch with the way she shut herself down so quickly. He looks at her eyes closely, the soft blue hues grew hard and icy as they regard him and it makes him feel like he's kicked several puppies. "See you later, Rogers."

"Delilah, please don't leave."

She shrugs. "It's getting late anyway. See you." She jogs off and disappears through the throng of people on the street.

***

Steve sulks all the way back to the tower, guilt heavy on his broad shoulders. He runs a hand through his hair, effectively messing it up as he makes his way to Tony's workshop. The other members of the team were nowhere in sight.

The latter was behind a desk tinkering with a new bot and he looks up when the taller man enters. "Hey handsome."

"Hi, babe."

"I'm sorry, who is this babe you speak of?"

Steve rolls his eyes fondly before collapsing on the couch, the furniture groaning under his weight. "My apologies, Sweetums."

"Thatta boy. How was your date with your lady friend?"

The blond man groans and throws his head back against the couch. "She hates me."

"No one hates you Rogers, what did you do?"

"I put my big foot in my even bigger mouth."

Tony really wants to laugh at the cute pout on his lover's face but he reigns it in because he can tell he's really upset. "What did you say to her?"

"Okay, so her dad hurt her again." Steve starts with that and the black haired genius stills, his eyes narrowing in anger.

"What did he do?"

"First, he bruised her shoulder yesterday and then this morning he took his broken beer bottle and cut her in the same spot all because she forgot to wash the dishes last night." Steve was feeling himself getting worked up again, so he just pinches the bridge of his nose and rolls his shoulders back.

Tony curses. "Jesus Christ, is Delilah okay?"

"She said she put some 'stuff' on it." He air quoted the word 'stuff'.

"What kinda stuff?"

"I don't know," He shrugs helplessly. "I told her that she needs to do something or let me do something about him because she's not safe there."

"Honey, I love you but you are the most stubborn and hardheaded man I've ever met. Of course she's not going to want to do anything, he's her father and even though she doesn't like it, he's all she's got. If he's taken away from her she will have no one and nowhere to go but a crappy foster system and who knows how they'll treat her in there."

"She has me!" Steve throws his hands up in exasperation and Tony's face softens before he abandons his latest project to walk over to Steve to plant himself into the super soldier's lap. Steve's hand comes up immediately to wrap around the shorter man's waist and as he settles further into the couch.

"Of course she does and she knows that, remember the first time you two met?"

Steve lips quirk up at the sides. "I do."

"Remember how you came running back here all excited about this teenager you met and how she likes art?"

"I do." He snaps his fingers before reaching into his jacket pocket, he pulls out the sketchbook and hands it to the genius. "She made this for me and it makes me feel like more of an ass for what I said to her."

Tony's fingers skim each page, his obvious favorites were the New Years drawing and the one of him in the armor and then in normal clothes. "She has talent, these are going on our wall and I'm gonna give the others theirs." Tony decides as he continues to examine the pieces once more.

"She does have talent. Tony she hates me." He whines petulantly.

"What did you even say to her?"

"She was defending him so I said I'd leave it alone since she seems to look like she enjoys getting beat on." He mumbles, his words riddled with shame.

Tony sighs and sits up."Lean forward."

Steve obliges. "Now what?"

Tony smacks him in the side of his head. "Rogers have you lost your mind, how could you say that to her?"

"I don't know what I was thinking."

"That's because you weren't. I know you wanna help her and I do too but you have to look at it from both sides of the screwdriver here. The asshole gets put away and then she'll be put in foster care, her whole life will change and what if her new family doesn't want her to see you again?"

"I didn't think about that." Steve spoke in a whisper.

Tony places a comforting kiss on his temple. "Calm down, you'll get wrinkles. She idolizes you so she doesn't hate you, I don't think anyone is capable of hating you. She's upset so give her some time and even though it's not your usual day tomorrow, you should go see her; I'm sure she'll appreciate it."

Some of the tension bleeds from Steve's strong shoulders. "Okay, I can do that."

"Good. You know what I just realized?" Tony's face contorts into one of recollection.

"What?"

"That you've been home almost half an hour and haven't kissed me yet."

Steve's give him a loving grin. "I'm sorry for denying you, Sweetums." He hooks his index finger into the neckline of Tony's T-shirt and pulls him forward to slot their lips together, the latter's hands reaching up To tangle his fingers in the soft strands of blond hair. Steve reaches up to caress Tony's cheek, nibbling a little on his bottom lip before pulling away.

The engineer blinks in a daze. "Welcome home."

****

Delilah trudges up the porch steps of her two story home, shuddering in slight fear when she sees the cherry red Ford pickup in the driveway, Ross McIntosh was home early and that was never something good. Her stomach lurches at the thought of what could happen.

She turns the key in the door and gingerly pushes it open before inside.

"I'm home."

"Shut the door."

 


	3. Chapter 3

"Hi dad." Delilah greets the patriarch as she closes the white wooden door behind her.

"Hello sweetheart, how was school?" He rises from his chair to meet his daughter halfway.

"School was great, I passed my history test." She states proudly and watches as a smile graces the man's face.

"That's wonderful, congratulations Delilah."

The teen's eyes seem to dazzle as she looks up at her father. Ross McIntosh is a very burly man with withered brown eyes and greying cinnamon colored hair. She had gotten most of her features from her mother except for the lightly tanned skin.

"Thank you, dad." She twiddles her thumbs as she isn't really sure what else to do, he rarely compliments her.

His hand comes to rest on her shoulder and she jumps slightly at the sudden contact. He frowns at the bandaged wound that adorns her shoulder and runs his fingers along the length of the white plaster. "I'm sorry, pet."

An unpleasant shiver runs down the female's spine and she can't tell if it's from the touch or the name, but neither one sits well with her. She puts a bit of distance between them and gives him a closed mouthed smile. "It's okay, it's my fault for upsetting you."

"So I guess we're both sorry. I made us some dinner, so go put your stuff down and meet me in the kitchen." He pats her head before disappearing through the white double doors that lead there.

Delilah tilts her head to the side as she begins to wonder if she walked into the right house. He's not even this nice to her on his good days, he even cleaned up the living room. She brushes off the nervous feeling before darting upstairs to her room. Upon entering, she toes off her white Chuck Taylors and throws her bag on the made bed before shuffling over to the cage in the corner of her room. She crouches down and opens the small metal door and immediately two animals crawl out and nudges their furry heads against her knees and she squeals before picking up one of them and allowing them to sniff at her chin.

She owns two Flemish Giants; a black and white male one whose name is Guppy as well as a female dark blue one whose name is Cocoa. They are almost full grown and are supposed to be really heavy but for Delilah, it's easy for her to pick them up and carry around. She places Guppy back in the spacious cage before lifting up Cocoa and letting her do the same. After shutting the small door, she places a kiss on the cool metal. "I'll sneak you up some apple slices later."

She straightens up and wiggles her sock clad toes as she mulls over how the course of the evening could go, she's elated that her father seems happy around her, he actually smiled at her which is a stark contrast to the looks of outright disgust or shame.

She lets out a breath before leaving the room and taking her time as she walks back downstairs and into the quaint little kitchen.

She sits at the dining table and was greeted by her favorite dish; oxtail and broad beans with rice and peas, to wash it all down was a tall, cool glass of blended fruit punch. "Wow dad, thank you for all of this!" Her hands gesture to the food adorning the table, the aroma of the cheesecake in the centre was doing wonders for her appetite.

"It's no problem, dear." His hand comes up to rest on her bare thigh and she angles it away while avoiding eye contact but says nothing. "Dig in."

She tucks into the food with gusto and she and her father make idle chat between bites of food and sips of juice. He watches her from the corner of his eye as she practically inhales the food in front of her, a smile of indifference is on his face as he takes her in, eating at a much slower pace, the knife slicing through the meat in soft strokes.

****

The two retreat to the living room after dinner, deciding to veg out in front of the TV; half an hour into Lucifer is when it happens. Delilah's skin begins to prickle uncomfortably as she starts to feel unbearably hot, you'd think that being able to generate heat and fire would make her impervious to it. She was feeling hot under the tank top and not in a good way. There's a sharp pain that blooms in her head and it was so sudden like the sting of a rubber band on the skin, she stands up hastily only to crumple to her knees at the sudden wave of dizziness.

"Dad?" She whimpers painfully, fingernails digging into her temples as she turns her head slightly.

The man in question is sitting in his brown leather chair, eyes trained on her and a malicious grin on her face.

Her eyes widen. "W-what did you do to me?" It's hard to keep the tone of disbelief and hurt out of her voice. The blind faith she had in this man was almost laughable, thinking he could change his ways to accept her.

He holds up a olive green canister before shaking it lightly. A whimper slips past Delilah's trembling lips at the discovery. "XT10." She states.

Ross nodded. "Smart girl." He rises from his seat and heads over to her. The ebony haired teen is hoisted up by the arm and lets out a small scream that was accompanied by a ragged breath; black spots dance across her vision when she tries to utilize her powers, she knew it would be no use but she had to try.

XT10 was designed for her and her mother, it was a dose of drugs designed to render them helpless and causes them pain as it ebbs away their powers for a period of time; it was for when their powers became out of control, so if they took it they'd crash, but not before being subjected to immense pain.

"Dad?" the name falls from her lips again as her head feels foggy, her legs give out and that's when she feels herself being lifted and cradled into a pair of arms. Wiggling away is futile due to her limbs feeling like ten tonne boulders, there is a rapid pounding of the heart as it slams against her ribcage and her body sags.

The last thing she feels is chapped lips against her forehead as her eyes slip shut.

********

It's hard to breathe. This registers to her as she comes through. It's hard for her to swallow and there's a heavy weight on top of her. She takes in a lungful of air and her eyes snap open as the pressure around her throat seems to tighten. The teen's body goes rigid as she takes in the situation, she opens her mouth to scream and a beefy finger flies up to cover it.

"Shh, no sounds pet."

A muffled sound of protest falls on deaf ears as he continues his hard thrusts inside her, her body jerks at the force as she thrashes her head from side to side wildly.

A loud clap of thunder erupted outside, the weather began to inadvertently reflect her chaotic emotions, she trusted him! A storm began to rage outside the window, angry, circling the skies as though wary and watching.

The hand that was around her neck begins to make its way down and it swipes across the top of her breasts, a terrified gasp gurgles in her throat when she realizes that she's naked. His fingers catch against her nipples as she lifts her hands to push at his chest.

"Stop!"

His eyes darken and he stills his movements to pin her hands down before pounding into her.

"Dad, stop!"

The food, the sudden change in behavior, the XT10; This must've been what he was planning all along.

She begins to sob loudly at the pain, the metallic smell of her blood crawls into her nose as she struggles to move. Frustrated and fearful tears falls from her eyes as the rain falls in large drops sounding like gunshots on the metal roofs. Her eyes begin flickering back and forth between terrified blue and stormy grey, the color depicting the severe onslaught of the rain, thunder and lightning.

His eyes slip shut before his body shudders on top of her, in seconds he's pulling out and a pained grunt leaves her as her body goes limp. The man rips off the condom and before she can react, he angles his length towards her face and spurts of hot cum land on her face, neck and breasts.

She wails loudly and the rapidly growing storm seems to be on the same wavelength as a roll of thunder shakes the house with its force.

Her father backhands her, his rings catching on her lip and left eyebrow, bursting it. She hisses and tries move up the bed to escape from how he's caging her in and her mouth opens in a silent scream as a pain flares up in the wound on her shoulder.

A sinister grin appears on his face at the look of utter pain and distress on the teen's face. His head dips down and he begins to run his dry lips down her stomach. Body wracking sobs attack her as his cold lips feel absolutely treacherous on her skin and she begins to shake when he stops, his head between her legs as he blows a breath on her centre and she feels the bile rise in her throat.

"N-no." With a flick of her wrist, a whoosh of air sends him sailing into the wall across from the bed.

She clambers up and the pain that shoots up her passage and lower stomach has her staggering back. She pushes through and stands to her feet when she gets off the bed. Her legs wobble and she stumbles when Ross gets up and marches over to her. Long, ebony black hair is fisted in his hand as he throws her back on the bed.

"That wasn't very nice, pet." He tuts.

The drying cum begins to irritate her skin as he looms over her, his beer breath fanning her face. "S-screw you." She stutters out.

The man responds by smiling, though it looks more like he's baring his teeth. He grabs her chin forcefully and her left hand presses against his chest. A burst of heat escapes her fingertips and the embers flicker to life.

Ross stills as the color orange swallows up the grey hues, fire has taken its place but the storm has yet to cease.

Delilah's vision is obstructed by orange, the haze is all she sees.

"Don't even think about it you little freak!" He roars as his hands close around the flesh of her throat once more.

Her right hand claws and scratch at his hands as her hand practically vibrates with heat, the embers spring to life, there's no way to stop it now as it completely encases him; she pushes him off as he screams. The flames are searing, it feels like a blast of blistering cold before it erupts into sweltering heat.

She's disoriented as the orange tint is in her eyes, her heart is drumming; she can feel it pounding in her ears as she collapses on her bed, the gut wrenching cries she emits adds to the discomfort in her lower stomach.

The crackling off the fire continues as it embraces Ross with willing hands of flame, it seems as if it were caressing him. He doesn't see it that way as he can feel his skin peeling as the infernos kiss his skin with heated and feverish lips. "H-how?" His request for an explanation about how her powers came back so quickly could be considered unspoken as Delilah curls up in a disoriented state, the drugs leaving her system causes dizziness and headaches.

His screams of anguish bounce off the cream colored walls as they begin to die out, leaving a blackened husk of a man as the flames follow its lead.

The smell of burnt and singed skin permeates the room as the orange fog clears from her vision, the bright blue making a reappearance as she regains her focus. Lightning cracks across the sky as she crawls over to the black mound. She's on her knees as her eyes take in what used to be Ross McIntosh.

"Dad?"

Her head tips back and an ear splitting scream rips through the late night, the bulbs in her room shattering, followed by all the street lamps, the wires sparking with electricity immediately after; plunging 40 miles of New York into total blackness, the only sparks of light being the sparks of current. The few cars outside screech to a halt, tires skidding on roads due to the massive surge.

Her lips wobble as tears trickle from her eyes, chest rising and falling as she assesses the damage done by her hands. She picks herself up and rushes to her closet to pull on some clothes, the aches she's feeling making it increasingly difficult. After that, she makes her to the cage, the rabbits are huddled close together in fright. She pulls them out and presses kisses on their heads, whispering words of reassurance to them.

"Let's go." She secures both rabbits in her arms, Guppy on the bottom since he's bigger with Cocoa resting on top.

She runs down the stairs and flings the front door open, the rain greeting her with open arms, her emotions are all out of whack, which explains the spike in her powers; the only way it would go away is if she calms down. As she shuts the door and runs down the dark street, she heads to the one person capable enough to soothe her.

****

"Deploying emergency generator." JARVIS announces and in a few seconds, the Avengers Tower is lit up like a beacon.

"What the hell was that, Thor?"

"Me?" Said God points at himself in confusion. "I was with you the whole time, Friend Clint and the hammer is right in front of you."

"JARVIS, gimme something on that outage."

"The electrical upsurge came from no power station or had nothing to do with the ferocity of the weather, it is unclear as to what caused it."

Steve's mask begins to slip as the worry for Delilah begins to show, he knows of her abilities but isn't entirely sure if she's the cause of this. He just hopes she's okay.

Tony falls into the chair beside him. "Stop pouting, if she needs you, she'll come."

Steve sighs. "But what if she c-"

"Look at me." Tony takes the blonde's face in his hand. "She's a strong kid, if you don't stop frowning, the team is going to find out about your little rendezvous." The billionaire whispers.

"Please don't call it that."

"It's hilarious, now kiss me."

Steve obliges and Tony just about swoons.

"Thanks hot lips." Tony sighs out and his lover's cheeks flame red.

"Excuse me, weren't we playing a game?" Natasha clears her throat.

"I already told you guys I don't bend that way." Bruce huffs and Tony snickers.

"Come on, Green Bean, right leg on blue."

"Friend Tony, wasn't your left hand supposed to be on red?"

"Now I can definitely bend that way, just ask Steve."

The team guffawed at the super soldier's wide eyed look. "Tony!"

"Yes dear?"

Steve spluttered his cheeks growing hot. "Don't you have any shame?"

"Have you met me?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Pietro quips, his Sokovian accent tainted with mischief.

A chorus of 'Ohh's' go up in the room, leaving Tony to grumble.

"Sir, I am sorry to interrupt but there is an individual on the outside demanding to be let in, they appear to be in distress."

Everyone straightens up and Tony's voice is devoid of all mirth when he speaks. "Open the front entrance only so they're not in the rain, ask them if they need anything."

"Right away, Sir."

Tony assumes it's a passerby seeking shelter from the heavy rains.

"Thanks, buddy."

There is a pregnant pause before the AI's voice floats through the room. "Sir, it is a female and she's requesting to speak with Captain Rogers."

"Whoa Punk, who did you hit and quit?" Bucky jokes as Steve stands up quickly.

Tony sees the look on Steve's face, his body is taut with tension. "JARVIS, did she give you a name?"

Both men are desperately hoping it's not her, praying she's at home.

"Delilah McIntosh."

That's all it took before Steve bolted to the elevator.

 


	4. Chapter 4

"Tony what's going on, who is she?" Natasha's eyes narrow, her previously relaxed posture is now taut as a bow's string.

"It's Steve's business, let him tell you. JARVIS, I'm going down there; give them eyes up here." Tony grabs a folded up blanket from the couch and rushes to the elevator.

"Certainly Sir." The large TV flickers to life and the team watches as a soaking wet teen stood in the lobby of the tower, shaking and sobbing, they could tell something was in her hands but it was covered by a jacket.

"DELILAH!" They hear Steve's voice and notices how the girl's body seemed to perk up and she places whatever is in her hands on the floor and removes the jacket, the Avengers seem to shuffle in relief when they see it's just rabbits.

Because hey, you never know who's a threat and who's not these days.

"STEVE!" the girl cries and before she could utter another word, the super soldier lifts her and cradles her to his chest. Her legs wrap around his midsection and her arms around his neck. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to, it was an accident." She sobs into his shoulder.

Steve bounces her lightly in an attempt to soothe her just as Tony steps out of the elevator and speed walks over to them.

Her spine stiffens when she realizes that someone else has entered the room but she doesn't look up, too busy with her tears and snot siesta on Steve's shirt.

"Mack, look at me." Steve's voice is soft in her ear, his minty breathe cool on her face. She obliges and the two gasp when they see her eyes have changed to silver, they decide not to bring that up now. "Do you know who this is, can you tell me?"

"T-Tony." She stutters out as she wipes her eyes.

"And who's he to me?" He's trying to calm her down, he can feel her heartbeat thumping erratically between them.

"Sweetums." She sniffles and Tony chuckles lightly.

"May I?" He holds up the blanket and after receiving a nod of approval, he tosses it around her shoulder. "It's a pleasure to finally meet the young lady who I share my boyfriend with."

"W-who said anything a-about s-sharing?"

The blue is returning to her eyes now as she rests her head back on his shoulder, feeling exhausted and pained.

"Take her upstairs to the med bay, the wound on her shoulder is bleeding. Wait, let her shower first." Tony points out. "I'll just grab these little critters." He gestures to the rabbits crawling around on the floor.

Steve kisses his forehead and makes hasty but careful steps to the elevator. Delilah begins to cry again, her body trembling as her sopping wet clothes clings to her frame uncomfortably.

He meets the eyes of his worried teammates when he brisks past. "I promise I'll explain everything." All they caught when they got a glimpse of the teen was her wet black hair and a Jimi Hendrix T-shirt.

He goes to his and Tony's room and heads for the bathroom, opening the door with his hip and easing Delilah down on the lip of the tub. Her blue eyes are watery as they look up at him, the horrendous storm has been reduced to a drizzle but unfortunately, she knocked the power out and can't restore it. "Mack, you're gonna need to tell me what happened, but not right now. I'm going to get you a towel and washcloth and some dry clothes."

"Your clothes can't fit me."

"Tony has a few shirts too small for him and probably sweats, too. Those will work since he's so little."

This gets the teen to crack a miniscule smile. "Okay."

Steve nods and shuts the door lightly and nearly crashes into Natasha. Her shoulders are riddled with tension but her face is soft as she hands Steve a plastic case. The blonde's face goes red when he sees it's a pack of unopened underwear and two pairs of new bras Wanda graciously decided to give as the teen looks to be about the same body type as the Maximoff witch.

The spy raises a brow. "You don't expect her to wear the same ones, do you?"

"I didn't even think of that." He breathes out tiredly.

"But I did." She kisses his cheek. "We know you'll tell us what happened, it's obvious something's going on with her and it's even more obvious she's special to you, so if you need help; I'm here."

"Thank you, Natasha."

"No problem." The redhead leaves as quietly as she had came and that's when Steve heads to the drawers and pulls out a 'Kansas' sweatshirt and a pair of grey sweats he knows have gotten too small for the shorter man. He goes to the closet and pulls out a fluffy, white towel and a mint green washcloth.

He balances them all in his hands and goes back to the bathroom to see Delilah in the same spot he left her, scuffing her damp shoes against the tiled floor. Steve rests the items on the counter before before crouching down til he's eye level with her. He places under her chin to lift her head up and two pairs of blue made one. "I got the stuff for you, I'll be outside the door if you need me and when we're done we can get that wound looked at and these too." He thumbs the cut on her brow carefully and it's then she remembers that they're there. She runs her tongue over the one on her lip and hisses at the sting.

"Thank you, Stevie."

"You're welcome, Mack. Whenever you're ready to tell me what happened, I'm all ears okay."

Her face falls and she clenches her jaw to prevent herself from crying. "I know, I'll tell you when I'm done. I know that your team is probably confused, so I'll tell them too because I don't feel like repeating it after tonight but instead of waiting outside the door can you tell them how you know me, please?"

This is Steve, she trusts Steve but after tonight; having another male so close to her when she's naked just does not sit will with her right now. It has nothing to do with Steve.

Steve's head tilts to the side and it reminds her of a confused Labrador. His eyes scan her body trying to see if he can pinpoint anything. "Delilah, when we'd go to the park and you had to go to the bathroom you always told me to stay outside the door. What did he do to you?" It was supposed to be rhetorical but she answered anyway.

"He betrayed me."

**

Steve makes the trek back to the main room when he heard the shower turn on and collapses on the couch between Sam and Bucky. "Where's Tony?"

"Still downstairs trying to pick up the rabbits."

The TV turns back on to see Tony lifting Guppy by his front paws. The rabbit wiggles at this in complete protest.

"Damn it!" Tony exclaims.

Steve sighs and looks up. "Pietro, could you go get them please?"

"The rabbits or Mr. Stark?"

"All of them." The blonde grumps and the others snicker.

The speedster gives him a mock salute before zipping down to the lobby and in a matter of seconds he appears with the three of them. "Wanda look, she is so cute." He coos, his accent thick.

"Those have got to be the biggest rabbits I have ever seen." Sam admits as he takes Guppy from the inventor, Cocoa is getting cozy in Bucky's gentle embrace after Pietro had handed it to him.

"Those are Flemish Giants," JARVIS interjects. "One of the largest breeds of rabbits with a particular bone structure because of their size. They are very docile creatures and are fond of human interaction, they however can become hostile if not handled properly. Sir was holding him incorrectly in the lobby and it was moments away from scratching." Jarvis informs them.

"Steve." Clint prompts gently. He's just about ready to address the elephant in the room and he can see that whoever the girl is and whatever happened to her is affecting the Captain.

"Her name is Delilah McIntosh." Steve begins and Tony goes to sit by his legs. "I'm sure you all must have picked up on my disappearing acts, she's who I've been going to see. We met when I went to go visit an afternoon program and we just bonded from there, I've known her for six months. She's special." He looks down and Tony, being the good boyfriend he is, rubs his knee.

Thor's forehead crinkles as he recalls something. "Is she the one who painted those pictures you gave us?"

"That's her."

"She is very talented." Wanda adds softly. "And that was a very good thing to do Steve, volunteering at the program."

"Thanks Wanda."

"She was born with abilities." He treads carefully.

"What kind of abilities?" Bruce leaned forward.

"She got them from her mother. She can manipulate water, earth, fire, air, the weather, electricity, metal and...blood."

"Blood?" Pietro wheezes out.

"Yes, it's called Haemokinesis." Tony tutors.

"Good to know." Bucky grunts and snuggles the large bunny a little closer, its little nose twitching against his cybernetic arm.

"Wait, you said that Lady Delilah can control weather and electricity, do you think she might have caused the storm and the outage?"

"Possibly," Tony shrugs. "Steve tells me she can control her powers pretty well, except in the event of distress. So if my guess is right, and it always is; I'd say something must've happened to her."

"Did something happen to her?" Natasha prods.

"And where's her parents? She left her house in the middle of the night to come to you."

"Her mom left her and her dad when Delilah was nine years old and her father was upset about it and he took it out on her. Physically."

The air was sucked out of the room at this admittance.

"So this bastard abuses her is what you're saying?" Clint fumes.

"Yes, I've been trying to get her to let me do something about it but she always refuses and Tony let me know the repercussions of that but her blind faith in that son of a bitch is so bad."

"When she came, she kept apologizing and saying it was an accident, did you get a chance to ask her what she meant?" Thor grips Mjölnir a little tighter in his strong hands. Children are to be nurtured and protected from harm, that's what he was taught. For a child to be abused by the very same people destined to protect them is a most unspeakable crime.

"She said she'd tell us when she's done."

"And she's okay with telling us?" Sam raises a dark brow.

"I think it's more along the lines of not wanting to repeat it."

"Tony mentioned a wound." Bruce brings up.

Steve frowns. "She said yesterday morning that he pushed her against the countertop and ended up bruising her shoulder and then this morning he took his broken beer bottle and cut her in the same spot, it was bleeding so I don't think it was treated properly."

All their faces were grim.

"He did something tonight." Pietro stated more than asked, his strong features were stony.

"Yes."

"Captain, Miss McIntosh is requesting your presence."

Steve gets up and dashes back to his room to see a cleaner but still shaken up Delilah. Her damp, black hair hung in her face as her head was slightly bowed.

"Hey." Steve whispers.

She lifts her head and gives him a small uptick of her pink lips. "Hello."

"Are you ready to tell us?"

She shrugs and then winces as pain shoots up her shoulder. "Yeah."

"Come on then, I'll have Doctor Banner look at that."

"Will you be there?" She questions worriedly. She knows he's Steve's friend but she's not ready to be alone with another man.

"Of course." They exit the bathroom and head back to the common room.

"Incoming." Tony announces quietly to the others and moments later the large man appears with the petite teenager by his side.

"Hey Kiddo." Tony greets first.

"Hi Sweetums." The blue eyed teen gives a strained smile.

"Guys, this is Delilah McIntosh." Steve pats her head.

"Hi," She waves shyly. "I'm the other woman."

They all chuckle at this.

"Thank you for the picture, Lady Delilah, it is wonderful." Thor praises and the teen blushes at the compliment.

The others voice their thanks and introduce themselves personally, even though she already knows them all.

"Here you go." Bucky carefully lifts Guppy to return to her but she shakes her head.

"It's alright, you both look comfortable." She acknowledges and the ex-assassin nods.

"While you talk," Bruce thinks of a suggestion. "Would you like me to dress your wound?"

She nods meekly. "Please."

The scientist nods before making a quick run to the lab for some first aid supplies. He returns and places them on the table. "Okay, I'm going to stand behind you and start, can you move your hair please?"

She moves her hair to the right and quickly braids it.

The good doctor gingerly peels off the haphazardly done bandage and picks up a pair of tweezers. "On a scale of one to ten, how painful is it?"

"About eight." She bites her thumb and tries not to flinch when his fingers brushed against the back of her neck or when the cool metal of the tweezers poke around in the wound.

"Did you dress this yourself?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"Little bit." He makes a tiny space between his thumb and index finger.

She picks up on his effort to lighten the mood and smiles. "I figured. SHIT!" She yelps and grips the person's hand closest to her; it was Tony's.

"Sorry." He holds it up for them to see. "There was a pretty gnarly piece of glass left in there and it was doing a bit of damage to the muscle. He applies an antiseptic spray and puts a fresh bandage on. "There, you're good to go." He hands her a pill canister and she visibly shrinks away from it.

"Mack?" Steve rubs her good shoulder. "It's just painkillers."

"I'm sorry, Dr. Banner."

"It's okay." He assures. He continues his work by using a cotton swab to apply antiseptic to the cuts on her brow and lip.

"I guess I should start talking. I'm pretty sure Steve gave you a brief run down of me." She opened with. "After my day with him, I came home and dad was there early and I got worried because he rarely does and whenever he does, he's normally in a bad mood. When I went inside I almost went back outside to make sure I had the right house because Ross McIntosh was actually being nice to me and me being the stupid little girl I am was actually happy because dad was actually acknowledging my existence." She laughs humorlessly.

"Mack, you're not stupid and I just wanna say I'm sorry for what I said earlier, I was being an ass."

"Stevie?" Her eyes glinted.

"Yeah?"

"Shut up." She managed to chuckle.

"Yes ma'am."

"How do you have that kind of power?" Tony pulls a fake appalled tone. "I don't have that kind of power."

Bless Tony Stark's heart for his ability to lighten things up. He could tell the kid's seconds away from tearing up.

"It's all in the technique. Anyway, he apologized for what he did and he made me dinner, he seemed like everything was okay so we ate and talked. After that we went to watch TV and that's when I started to feel weird. I got a really bad headache and I was starting to feel dizzy and my arms and legs were heavy; I looked over at him for help and all the did was hold up a pill bottle." She wiped away a few tears with the sleeve of the sweatshirt.

Bruce looked very apologetic. "Delilah I-"

"No." She cut him off. "Don't even think about it."

"So whatever the pill was, he slipped you some?" Natasha sums up.

"Yes, it's called XT10; it was designed for when my mom and I's powers got out of hand, you would administer it in small doses to stabilize it but if you gave too much it would cause a lot of pain and our powers would go away for a period of time. He used a lot because I pretty much konked out after that." She tucks her legs up in the chair and buries her face in her knees.

They wait patiently when she went silent thinking she wanted some time to gather her thoughts but they startled when she begins to sob loudly.

Their hearts clench in sympathy but their faces are contorted in utter rage.

Steve's eyes are filled with tears as he pulls her into his lap while the sobs wrack her frame. His arm is around her waist with her face in the crook between his neck and shoulder.

Wanda wipes a few tears from her eyes and cuddles closer to Pietro, who drops a kiss on her forehead.

Sam's normally calm demeanor was absent and his eyes hard as he stares down at the floor.

"Delilah?" Bucky whispers and everyone turns to stare at him, he successfully avoids their gazes and keeps his trained on the teen in question.

Delilah's head swivels around to face him, leaving the comfort of her hiding place. Looking at them all, they see that her eyes are red and puffy with shedding tears. "Yes?"

The dark haired man said nothing but merely held out the bunny to her. She smiles gratefully at him and rises from Steve's lap to accept the furry cottontail from his best friend's outstretched hand. He registers that her fingers brushed against his metal arms and stiffens slightly; he sneaks a glance at her to see that there was no change in her expression or body language.

"Thank you, James."

"You're welcome."

Sam followed his team mate's lead and handed her back the blue Flemish Giant. He gave it a scratch behind the ear. "Don't be a stranger now." He said in parting.

She goes back to the couch, but instead of sitting back in Steve's lap, she angles her body to lie on her back with just her head in his lap and then she gingerly lifts Guppy and Cocoa to rest on her torso. "Hey, you two." She whispers to them and they crawl up her chest to rub their noses against her cheek, making her smile. "Yeah," She sniffles. "I missed you too; I never did get you those apple slices, huh?"

The animals merely made themselves comfortable on top of her and she breathes out a sigh to gather herself. "When I woke up I was still a little out of it but my powers came back, that's how they storm started; I was terrified."

"Before you continue," Tony interrupts. "Where is he?"

Her eyes briefly flicker to bright orange as she thinks about the state she left him in. "At home." She mutters.

"I know that's not everything, Mack." Steve cards his fingers through her drying hair.

"He's at home, lying on the floor of my bedroom burnt to a crisp." She rushes out.

Clint chuckles. "Come again?"

"I'm sorry, It was an accident. I was scared and upset and he wa..." She trailed off when her breaths started to come out in soft pants.

Steve rushes to console her. "It's okay, it's okay. No one's angry at you."

Tony takes out his phone and sends a text requesting a clean up at her house with complete discretion. He knows the head honcho is going to have questions but he can deal with that another time.

"I was naked when I woke up and he was already in the middle of..." She trailed off again, clutching her pets closer to her as if it would stave off her tears. She could feel the bile in her stomach, rising up into her throat, creeping up on her like gas fumes.

The glass Bucky had taken up to drink up, shatters in the grip of his metal hand. The sound makes her flinch, a sound she's heard one too many times.

They had picked up on what she was trying to see, Steve rubbing her back is a silent way of telling her that they caught on.

Bruce is the one to ask the question the others were either too angry or too upset to ask about. "Did he....release?"

She had to intertwine her fingers to keep them scratching at her face and neck. "All over my face, neck and breasts." She whimpers and as she utters the words, she suddenly feels dirty again, she can feel grime crawling under her skin and making a permanent home here. She continues before any one of them can speak. "He was trying to finish what he had started, I remembered touching his chest and my hand heated up, I saw the flames on my fingers and then it touched him and before I could reign it in, it was already too late. He's dead and it's all because of me."

"Bullshit!" Steve snaps and it makes her jump a little.

"Sorry," His face softens a tad. "This is not your fault and I don't ever want to hear you say that again, it was an accident, you said so yourself. The son of a bitch is supposed to be your father and he raped you and you were defending yourself. You are not in the wrong here, don't think you are. Do I make myself clear?" He spoke quietly but firmly.

"Sir yes, Sir." She responds monotously.

The stiff air in the room seemed to loosen just a tad.

Steve's lips ticked. "Good, now would you like something to eat?"

Her face falls and her eyes grow wide in terror.

"You can watch me make it." He gives her an ultimatum and she nods before sitting up, she lifts the rabbits and places them on the couch. She then stands up and gives everyone a weak smile.

Natasha is impressed with her ability to still try and lighten the heavy situation, it reminds her of herself; she can see it wearing on the teen though. She silently observes her shoulders and how they look heavy, her eyes are wide and are shifting everywhere, the small tremors in her hand are barely noticeable but she sees it. She sees everything.

"Would you like peanut butter and jelly?"

"Yes please." She nods, she can the acid churning in her stomach. She raises a finger to add something else but the good captain is already way ahead of her.

"You want it horizontally sliced with the points cut off, only remove the crusts from the sides and you want more jelly than peanut butter. Now, are you coming?"

She blinks and the others in the room are baffled. She moves closer to him and he holds out his hand.

She looks at the outstretched limb for a second before looking up into cerulean eyes. "I'm seventeen, not seven."

"So you don't want to hold my hand?"

"That's not what I said."

 


End file.
